Presentation during World Digital Preservation Day 2018 and International Conference 'Memory Makers' organised by DPC and the Dutch Digital Heritage Network

1. Dr Valerie Johnson
The National Archives UK
Supporting the Archives Sector via
Collaboration

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3. Archives Unlocked is a strategic vision for the archives sector. It
articulates our ambition for the sector’s unique potential and relevance
in preserving the diversity of our nation’s heritage.
It is underpinned by a robust action plan that outlines what we will be
doing over the next few years to make realistic and meaningful progress.
The vision and the action plan are the result of extensive consultation
with our partners and stakeholders from across the archives sector; and
from across culture, heritage, the creative industries, local authorities
and more.
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4. The ambitions are:
• TRUST: people and institutions trust in the authenticity of
archive records, and how they are preserved and presented.
• ENRICHMENT: archives enhance and enrich our society
intellectually, culturally and economically.
• OPENNESS: archives cultivate an open approach to
knowledge and are accessible to all.
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5. In the Action Plan, we are currently focusing on three areas:
•DIGITAL CAPACITY. Develop the digital capacity of the archives sector, to
preserve digital records, and increase discoverability of the paper and
digital archive.
•RESILIENCE. Build the sectors resilience to ensure more archives can meet
and sustain the Archive Service Accreditation standard, open the sector to
new skills and a more diverse workforce, increase income generation
capacities, and support innovative service models.
•IMPACT. Demonstrate the impact of archives by developing and
expanding audiences, piloting approaches to using data and evidence, and
influencing thinking in the IT, commercial and knowledge sectors.
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DIGITAL CAPACITY
‘Include all archives: through sharing, co-location,
collaborative networks and consortia, all archives will be
able to access the skills and infrastructure they need to
achieve their goals in the digital world’

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Sector Sustainability Fund
Established in 2013 to support collaborative networks
‘The National Archives hopes to build upon existing networks
and partnerships, to create sustainable collaborative
service networks that will help individual archives become
more adaptable and resilient and enable them to focus on the
needs of users and local communities and on producing best
value for money’
12 networks funded across England
Over £150K invested

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CultureRunner The National Archives Collaborative Development Networks Evaluation Report (2017) p.24

9. Network Case Study 1:
Archives West Midlands
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Archives & Collections, Library of Birmingham; British Motor
Museum; Cadbury Research Library, University of
Birmingham; Culture Coventry; Dudley Archives and Local
History; Hereford Cathedral; Herefordshire Archive and
Records Centre; Media Archive Central England; Sandwell
Community History and Archives Service; Shakespeare
Birthplace Trust; Shropshire Archives; Staffordshire Record
Office; Warwickshire County Record Office; Wolverhampton
City Archives; Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology
Service
Project proposal
Analysing current activities, staff knowledge and capacity across the region

10. Archives West Midlands
Project findings:
•That the network should invest in a managed digital
preservation system, such as Preservica or Archivematica to
help facilitate many of the processes involved in preserving
digital material
•Further investigation is required of platforms to provide
secure access to digital records
•Templates of regional policies and guidance should be
developed, across a range of digital archives management
issues
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11. Network Case Study 2: Archives First
Berkshire Record Office; Dorset History Centre; East Sussex Record
Office; Gloucestershire Archives; Hampshire Record Office; Isle of Wight
Record Office; Portsmouth History Centre; Southampton Archives; Surrey
History Centre; West Sussex Record Office; Wiltshire and Swindon History
Centre
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Proposal:
•To ‘carry out a life-cycle analysis of so-called “born-digital” records from
their creation through to their accession’ [and] ‘to understand how
archivists can contribute to the long-term management of preserved
digital material’
•Focus on key records classes – public records; key democratic service
records – all which will be or already are created by computerised
transaction processing systems

12. Archives First
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V Cothey & C Pickavance Archives First: Digital preservation project (2017) p12

13. Archives First
Follow-up proposal
•To ‘investigate archival information package export
specification and functionality in respect of’:
o Liquidlogic Children’s Social Care System
o Modern.gov
o Mosaic
•To ‘determine the minimum requirements of a long-term
storage system for archival information packages and identify
options for local authorities’
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14. Network Case Study 3:
East of England Regional Archive Council
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Sharing Archivematica Pilot Project
Cambridgeshire Archives; Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies;
History of Advertising Trust; Norfolk Record Office; Peterborough
Archives

15. Digital Learning Set
• Foster and facilitate a partnership/network of interested services as a
learning set
• Promote awareness across the archives sector of the different regional
and thematic approaches to the digital challenge
• Inform TNA’s understanding of sector need, and of opportunities for
TNA leadership and/or support
• 5 sessions: digital preservation, digital engagement, approaches to
mass digitisation, digital experience and user
perspectives/management
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16. Impact of collaborative working
• Delivering greater efficiencies and savings through working
together, even in a climate of reduced resources
• Maximising staff expertise and knowledge
• Establishing standards of best practice regionally
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"The possibilities of coming together to share knowledge and
expertise are far greater than if archive services worked in
isolation"
– Archives West Midlands

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Questions ?